


Make Believe on Christmas Eve

by Green_Eyed_Dragon_Fanfiction



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2019-02-14 15:04:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13010322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Green_Eyed_Dragon_Fanfiction/pseuds/Green_Eyed_Dragon_Fanfiction
Summary: When you family insists you bring your [nonexistent] long-term boyfriend over for Christmas, you panic. You hadn’t expected to be put in this situation; you never thought you’d actually have to bring “him” over.





	Make Believe on Christmas Eve

**Author's Note:**

> Pairing: Bucky x Reader
> 
> Warnings: Language (always)
> 
> A/N: I think I used every ounce of my Christmastime wit on Bah, HumBuck! because for the life of me I couldn’t come up with a good title.

[Originally posted by buchanstan](https://tmblr.co/ZhQjJi2B7JX1h)

“Steve! Steeeeeve! Steve! Where are yoouuuuu!” you bellowed as you ran frantically through the halls of the Avengers base in upstate New York. 

“(Y/N)?! What’s wrong?” Steve asked, alarmed, as he popped up from seemingly out of nowhere, eyeing you with obvious concern. 

“Stevie! Thank god!” you said, relieved, as you ran up to him. You caught your breath as soon as you were in front of him, half doubled over and wheezing from running all over the base. 

“(Y/N), you’re really starting to worry me. What happened?” Steve asked, placing a large, comforting hand on your shoulder in concern. 

You stood up straight suddenly, surprising Steve as you stared determinedly straight into his pretty blue eyes and placed your hands on his shoulders. “Steve, please tell me you don’t have plans with Sharon for Christmas,” you said seriously. 

Whatever Steve had been expecting, it wasn’t that. “I- What?” he asked, flabbergasted. 

“Do you. Have plans. With Sharon. For Christmas,” you said deliberately, squeezing his shoulders nervously. 

He swiped a hand over his face and let out a long sigh. “What is this about, (Y/N)?” he asked tiredly. Now that it was painfully clear to him that this wasn’t a life-threatening situation, he relaxed a bit. 

Your hands slid from his shoulders and you shifted to and fro nervously, hesitant to tell him the details of your predicament. “I- uh…”

“(Y/N),” he said sternly, staring you down. 

You quailed under his gaze and winced. Suddenly, the whole story was spilling from your lips and you couldn’t stop it. “My mom called today and asked me how I was doing and I’ve been lying about being with someone just to keep her off my back because she’s worried about how old I’m getting and I told her me and this imaginary man are doing well together and she invited him over for Christmas because she thinks we’ve been together for a year and I just froze and couldn’t come up with an excuse about why he couldn’t show and so now I need to find a boyfriend for Christmas- not a real one, of course- just a guy to pretend to be my boyfriend so my mom doesn’t try to set me up with every man in Seattle so I was wondering- no, hoping- you didn’t have plans with Sharon for Christmas so that you… youcouldbemypretendboyfriendforafewdays,” you said, forcing the last few words out so quickly they were practically one word. 

Steve stared at you dumbly for a moment as he processed this sudden influx of information. He closed his eyes as though the entire conversation was giving him a headache (in his defense, it probably was) and he let out a long, deep sigh. “I do have plans with Sharon, actually.”

You swore under your breath and he let out an annoyed _tsk_ at the torrent of swears. You stuck your tongue out at him (childish, but so was chastising a grown adult for his/her language). “Fuck, you were my last hope. Sam has plans, too.”

“What about Bucky?” Steve asked as he crossed his arms over his chest and studied your face. 

Your eyes widened guiltily. You’d thought about asking Bucky. In fact, he was your first choice; you had a giant crush on him… but you didn’t want to annoy him or make him uncomfortable, so your options were limited to Sam and Steve.

“What _about_ Bucky?” came a deep, raspy voice from behind you. 

You yelped and spun on the spot. 

There, looking sinfully cozy in an ugly Christmas sweater, sweats, and thick wool socks, was Bucky. He had a mug of some hot liquid in his hands and he was studying you and Steve warily over the rim of the mug. He took a nonchalant sip as he stared the two of you down. 

“Hey, perfect timing Buck. (Y/N) needs someone to pretend to be her boyfriend for a few days. Ever been to Seattle?” Steve said behind you. By the time your brain had processed the words and you’d turned around to try and shut him up it was too late. You stared at him incredulously. Of all the-

“Yeah, alright,” Bucky said easily.

You spun around so fast you nearly gave yourself whiplash. “Alright? You’re… actually okay with doing that? This is a huge favor and I didn’t think you’d want to…”

Bucky shrugged as he sipped what you now recognized as tea from his mug. “I’ve always wanted to visit Seattle. Haven’t been yet. Plus, you’re my friend.”

_Ouch._ The _f_ word. You hated that word. True, you hadn’t done anything to try and change that between you and Bucky, but still. It hurt. You put on a bracing smile and threw your arms around his middle in a tight hug, careful to avoid the scalding hot tea. “Thank you so much, Bucky! I owe you big time!” You released him quickly because you were afraid if you didn’t then you might just hold onto him all night. 

“No problem, Doll,” he said, smiling down at you. Your traitor heart thudded so hard you could hear it in your ears and hoped to hell their enhanced hearing couldn’t hear it.

With one last shy smile you turned and ran down the hall. “I’ll text you the details, but we leave tomorrow morning!” you called over your shoulder just before you rounded the corner. You managed to catch a glimpse of the small smile on his lips as he watched you go. 

_Damn, this trip might actually kill me._

* * *

[Originally posted by lalunex-blog](https://tmblr.co/ZuDKFl1fFZvNF)

“Yeah, mom. We landed safely,” you reassured her (as though the very fact you called her exactly when you said you would wasn’t reassurance enough). You and Bucky had just disembarked and you were currently making your way through the airport. You knew the place so well you barely thought about where you were going. Bucky was trailing just a step or two behind you, eyes warily scanning every person that passed; some habits died hard, you supposed.

“Alright, sweetheart! Your father and I will be there in a little bit. We’ll park; arrivals is probably a madhouse today and I don’t want to deal with all those crazy drivers,” she said.

You rolled your eyes at that; she was definitely crazier than any of the other people out there. “Alright, mom. See you soon. Love you,” you said fondly.

“Love you too, sweet pea.” 

You hit the end call button and shoved your phone back into your pocket, finally giving Bucky your full attention. 

You slowed down for a few steps so you’d be next to him as you walked. He was looking everywhere, gaze not lingering in any one place too long. 

“So? First impressions?” you asked him curiously, eager to fill the gap in conversation. 

His gaze slid to you and his expression immediately softened a bit. “We’re not even out of the airport yet,” he said, raising an eyebrow at you. 

You felt heat creep up your neck and into your cheeks. “Th- that’s true, I suppose…” you said as your gaze returned to what was in front of you, unable to look at him after your embarrassing slip up. 

“I just don’t understand why there are metal fish set into the floor,” he said quietly. 

Your gaze snapped to him. You followed his line of sight and chuckled when you saw what he was looking at; there were indeed small metal salmon set into the tiled floor. 

“Seattle’s big on Salmon,” you explained quickly, smiling at the crinkle in his brow as he processed this new information.

He glanced out one of the huge windows and sighed. “Are you sure we left New York? It’s still grey outside. Really, really grey.” 

You laughed at that. “You do realize Seattle’s reputation is for raining a lot, right? Grey is basically nine months out of the year.”

“Does it really rain for nine months straight?” Bucky asked, looking appalled by the very thought. 

“Nah, but it really _is_ grey for most of it,” you said with a wink.

He shrugged. “I suppose New York isn’t much better.”

You laughed at that. “Oh, New York is way worse. It gets colder and hotter and it’s _way_ more humid there.”

He bristled a bit at that, which made you smile. So Bucky got offended when you insulted New York? Interesting. 

“It isn’t _that_ bad, weather-wise. New York is the best city in the world, anyway,” he said, just a bit petulantly. 

“Uh, huh. Whatever you say, Buckaroo,” you said teasingly. 

He glared at the nickname, but you swore you caught a small smile on his lips before he turned away. 

* * *

A half hour later you and Bucky made your way towards the parking garage, luggage in hand. If you knew your mother at all- and you did- you were pretty sure she’d park somewhere around-

“(Y/N)! Over here, sweetheart!” 

“Mom!” you ran to her, suitcase careening dangerously behind you. You threw yourself into her arms and gave her a fierce hug and a kiss on the cheek. 

“What, no hug for your Dad?” came a deep voice from just behind your mom. 

You grinned widely and untangled yourself from your mother so that you could throw your arms around your dad and give him an exuberant squeeze which made him laugh heartily. 

“ _Oh my!_ And who’s this?” your mom asked. 

“Oh, shit.” You’d completely forgotten to introduce Bucky. Your mom frowned at your language but your dad only chuckled; you’d definitely gotten your mouth from him. 

“Mom, Dad. This is Bucky; my-” the words died in your throat. _Boyfriend._ Just say _“boyfriend.”_ It’s only a word. Why couldn’t you just say it?

“Mister and Misses (Y/L/N). It’s a pleasure to finally meet you; (Y/N)’s told me all about you. My name’s James Buchanan Barnes- but everyone calls me Bucky. I’m (Y/N)’s boyfriend,” Bucky said easily, laying on the charm thick for your mom and dad. A toothy smile and your mom was instantly won over. Your dad-

Oh god, how could you have forgotten. 

Your dad looked like he’d just met Elvis or Russel Wilson. He stood a bit taller and shoved his hand in Bucky’s direction. 

“Sergeant Barnes, it’s a pleasure to meet you. You’re a hero. Thank you for your service,” your Dad said earnestly. 

Bucky looked a bit confused by your dad’s unusual reaction, but took his hand after only a moment’s hesitation and returned your dad’s overenthusiastic handshake. “Thank you, sir.”

Your dad loved the Howling Commandos. Your grandpa was in the Army and although father and son didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of things, your dad grew up on stories of the Commandos, especially Sergeant Barnes and Steve Rogers.

You’d completely forgotten.

Well, Bucky had won your parents over in the span of a minute. Now all you needed to do was keep it that way until you were on the plane back to New York.

“Well, daylight’s burning! Let’s get going!” your mom said, practically bouncing up and down with excitement.  

* * *

[Originally posted by its-buckyy](https://tmblr.co/ZgTlJl2OF_tsi)

You and Bucky stared at the queen-sized bed, neither one of you daring to move first. 

“I… I can sleep on the floor,” Bucky said awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck like he did whenever he was nervous. 

“No, no!” you said hurriedly. You realized that your true feelings were showing and you coached your face back into something resembling neutrality. “I mean… it’s alright, I don’t mind sharing,” you said, unable to look him in the eyes. 

“Are you sure?” he asked quietly. Something in his voice made you look up at him and you spotted something in his eyes; hope, maybe? Nah, couldn’t be.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” you said, giving him what you hoped was a comforting smile. 

A shy smile graced his features and it had your heart all aflutter in your chest. Was this man trying to kill you? He had to be. 

You threw your suitcase unceremoniously onto the bed and spun to face Bucky, wide smile on your face and hands on your hips. “We have some time. Wanna go see the waterfront? Pike Place should be open for a little while longer.”

“Pike Place?” Bucky asked, eyebrow raised. 

A devilish smile took its place on your face and Bucky tensed, suddenly unsure. “Oh, you’ve never heard of it?” 

Bucky shook his head hesitantly. 

Without another word you grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the house.

* * *

“But why do they throw the fish?” Bucky asked, watching as the men behind the counter threw fish back and forth for the assembled crowd. 

You shrugged, bright smile on your lips. You’d missed the market. It just had a life about it that you couldn’t find almost anywhere else. “Dunno. For fun, I suppose. It attracts customers, so why not?” 

A large group of teenagers chose just then to go running wildly through the market. Bucky acted almost without thinking, stepping forward to wrap you safely in his arms as they passed. 

Your heartbeat thudded in your ears and you willed yourself to stay calm. It was barely even a hug, you had no right to get too excited by-

“You alright?” Bucky asked as he looked down at you, concern etched in his expression. 

You audibly gulped and nodded, unable to look away from those bright blue orbs. 

It seemed Bucky was having similar issues. Instead of letting you go it almost felt as though he was pulling you… closer? Was he ducking down or were you standing up on your toes? Were you just imagining all of this? No, you were definitely getting closer. And you were pretty sure you weren’t imagining that look in his eyes. It made your heart threaten to beat right out of your chest. 

“Look out!” 

Neither one of you had time to brace for what happened next; it happened too quickly and you were too distracted by each other.

A salmon flew out of nowhere… and hit Bucky directly in the face. It fell between the two of you and you squeaked and jumped away when its dead eyes gazed straight at you. It fell to the floor with a pathetic _slap_. 

You and Bucky stood there, frozen for a moment, before you dissolved into giggles. You laughed even harder when you spotted a fish scale in his hair; you reached up to remove it, not noticing at first the way he stilled and watched you, gaze practically burning a hole through you. His hair felt silky underneath your fingers and you fought the urge to run your hand unabashedly through it. You averted your eyes and started to move your hand away, but his right hand came up and caught it, holding it gently in his own. Your eyes flicked back to him, confusion lining your features. 

“Bucky-?”

“I’m so sorry!” The two of you jumped apart, startled by the sudden intrusion, and turned to face the harried fishmonger (the one who had, presumably, hit Bucky in the head with a dead fish). “Please tell me you’re alright,” he said, directing his attention to Bucky. 

Bucky looked annoyed, which translated to murderous by normal people’s standards (they just couldn’t read him as well as you and the rest of the team did). The poor man paled dangerously. “I’m fine,” he said evenly. 

This didn’t seem to assuage the man’s worries though. If anything, he seemed even more nervous now. “Wait here, I’ll give you some complementary fish as an apology! Just… please don’t tell my boss,” the man said, scampering away.

You and Bucky stood there awkwardly. Whatever magic had been there a moment ago was gone, leaving the two of you unsure and hesitant. 

Not three minutes later the man returned with a heavy bag, filled to the brim with various types and cuts of fish. He handed it to you quickly. “Happy Holidays!” he chirped nervously before running away from Bucky as quickly as he could. 

You turned to smile at Bucky, willing yourself to stay calm. “C’mon, let’s get home. You smell like the ocean,” you said, sending him a playful wink. 

Bucky let out a huff and took the bag of fish from you with his metal hand. “Not my fault,” he mumbled grumpily, making you chuckle. 

"Man, Sam and Steve are going to love that story. I’m just sad I couldn’t get a video of it happening,” you said in an exaggerated teasing voice. 

Bucky must have took it a little too seriously though because he frowned and picked up his pace, wordlessly making a beeline for the car a block or so away.

You laughed and caught up, reaching for his right hand to tug him to a more reasonable pace. 

“It was a joke, Bucky. I won’t tell anyone,” you said, nudging him with your shoulder.

He glanced down at you out of the corner of his eye and smiled. You swore your heart stopped beating. “Promise?” he asked quietly. 

“Promise,” you responded breathlessly. 

You held hands the entire way back to the car; you didn’t know why he didn’t drop your hand- you assumed he probably just forgot he was holding it- but you weren’t going to complain. 

* * *

“Mom! Dad! We’re back!” 

“Welcome home! How was the market?” Your mom asked from the living room. 

“Packed. Everyone’s doing last minute shopping,” you said, annoyance seeping into your tone as you threw the fish in the fridge and poked your head in the living room. 

“Not _too_ packed, I hope?” your mom asked worriedly. Even though you were a trained agent she always worried about you getting stabbed by some random person on the street (you supposed that that was just what mothers did- worry about their children). 

“It wasn’t that bad,” Bucky said from next to you, peeking into the living room. 

“Oh, I’m sure you’d keep her safe if anything happened, anyway,“ your mom said, fondness for Bucky seeping into her voice. 

Bucky smiled at that and nodded. To your shock, he wrapped an arm around your shoulder, pulled you to his chest, and placed a kiss to your temple. 

Your brain short-circuited. All you could feel was Bucky’s soft lips on your skin. How warm and solid he felt next to you. Even after his lips left your skin, it was like that spot was on fire. You barely registered his next words.

“Of course, Misses (Y/L/N). She’s my best girl, after all,” Bucky said winningly. 

“Dinner will be ready in a few,” your mom said with a huge smile, absolutely over the moon that you’d found such a good man. 

“Alright. We’ll wash up and be down in a few,” Bucky said easily, giving you a gentle tug which snapped you out of your daze. “C’mon, Doll,” he said with an easy smile. You nodded along with his words and let yourself be guided up to your room. 

“You alright, Dollface?” Bucky asked with concern as soon as you were out of earshot of your mother. 

“Huh?” you asked dumbly, unable to look away from him. 

Bucky frowned, eyes crinkling with concern. He seemed to take your sudden shift in demeanor incorrectly and stopped walking so he could face you properly. “Sorry, I should have warned you. Didn’t mean to spring that kiss on you… I just thought it would make everything more convincin’,” he said, shifting nervously. 

“… What?” Truly, you were a master of eloquence. Your mind couldn’t fathom his train of thought, though- it never occurred to you to be upset about receiving a kiss from Bucky. 

“You’re… upset about me kissin’ your temple, right?” Bucky asked, suddenly unsure. 

You shook your head almost violently. “No, no! I was just… surprised is all,” you said quickly. 

Bucky visibly relaxed. “Oh, that’s… good,” he said, hesitant smile working its way onto his face.

* * *

Dinner passed mostly uneventfully. Your dad was morbidly curious about Bucky’s time as a Commando and you put him out of his misery by asking Bucky to give him a story or two; nowadays, Bucky was willing to talk about his time before being turned into the Soldier. Only a few people- yourself included- could get him to talk about his time as the Winter Soldier, though.

“Wanna watch some movies to kill time?” you asked as you flopped on to your bed. 

He walked around and climbed on the bed much more gracefully than you had, taking his spot just a few inches away from you.

Sure, you’d sat next to him on the couches back at the base before- even hung out on his bed once or twice- but something about this was different. There was a sort of electricity in the air that hadn’t been there before. 

“What did you have in mind?” he asked as he leaned against your headboard. 

“Elf, then The Nightmare Before Christmas?” you asked, glancing up at him through your lashes. 

He smiled at that. “I knew you’d say that.”

You felt heat rise to your cheeks. “If you don’t want to, that’s alright, I just-”

“No, those are fine,” he said easily, sending you a warm smile. 

You nodded and looked away, unable to look into his blue eyes a moment longer. A few minutes later you had the TV set to play your movies and you and Bucky were snuggled under the blankets. No matter how much you fidgeted, though, you couldn’t quite get comfortable. You were about twenty minutes into Elf before Bucky had had enough.

“Quit wigglin’. It’s distracting,” Bucky said chastisingly, eyes still glued to the screen. You opened your mouth for a snarky response but froze when his arm wrapped itself around your shoulder and pulled you to his side. You hardly dared to breathe, much less move. You were tense but he didn’t seem to notice, too distracted by the movie as he was. You snuck a peek up at his face and you stopped breathing. He looked… so relaxed and content. You almost never saw him like that; he was almost always on edge back at the base. He must have sensed you staring, though, because he glanced down at you after a moment or two.

He did a double take when he realized you were staring. You nearly missed the light pink dusting on his cheeks in the dim light of the room. “What? Is… is this not okay?” he asked, giving your shoulder a gentle tug so there would be no confusion as to what he was referring to. 

You smiled and, in a fit of bravery, rested your head against his shoulder and turned back to the screen. “No, it’s fine,” you said, trying to hide your pleased smile. 

A pause, then, quietly, “Good.”

* * *

Apparently you were more exhausted than you’d thought, because you fell asleep not even halfway through Elf.

You awoke to soft snores that weren’t your own, coming from directly next to your head. You opened your eyes slowly, adjusting to the dim morning light streaming in from the window. A glance to your left quickly revealed the source of the snoring.

Bucky was laying next to you, and it was only once you laid eyes on him that you realized the position the two of you were in. The two of you were buried under your blankets. Bucky’s metal arm was wrapped around you and his other arm was under your head like a pillow. You were tucked neatly against his chest, breathing in his scent with every breath. It was enough to make your head spin. To your shock you realized that even your legs were tangled together.

Your gaze traveled up to his face and your breath hitched at the sight. The light from the window danced in his hair, giving him a nearly angelic appearance. He looked so at peace laying there it was as though he was a painting done by a master. You felt blessed to witness such a work of art.

“Wow…” you breathed, drinking in the sight before you.

His eyes snapped open immediately at the sound of your voice and latched onto your face. He was instantly on alert and you felt awful; he was finally sleeping (and well, by the looks of it. You knew how bad his nightmares got sometimes).

“Good morning,” you said sheepishly, giving him a small smile.

He relaxed once he remembered where he was and closed his eyes again, pulling you more firmly to his chest. “Five more minutes, Doll…” he muttered tiredly, burying his face in your hair.

You felt your entire face heat with embarrassment. Maybe he wasn’t as awake as you thought he was.

“Bucky…” you mumbled into his chest.

“Mm.” You felt more than heard his hummed, dismissive response.

“We’re going to my extended family’s Christmas party today. We need to get up,” you said, hating the words as you said them. You knew your mother would kill the both of you if you didn’t go, though.

Bucky moved back enough so he could look at you and _pouted_. Honest to god pouted. Like a five year old. Big eyes and slightly stuck-out bottom lip and everything. “Do we have to? I haven’t slept that well in years.”

Everything in you wanted to say _“No. We can stay in bed all day. That’s fine.”_ but your mom scared you more than any evil villain ever would. Certainly more than the giant teddy bear in front of you. You smiled up at him. “Yes, Buck. I promise it won’t be that bad, though. My dad never wants to stay long anyway. He hates groups of people,” you said placatingly.

“Well, we have that in common,” Bucky said, peeking down at you.

You smiled up at him. “C’mon, they’re my family. They’re not _that_ bad.”

* * *

You and Bucky stumbled into your room, dead exhausted. Between your aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins, you and Bucky hadn’t gotten a moment’s peace to yourself while you were at the party.

You collapsed face-first onto the bed, devoid of the energy needed to so much as take your shoes off. “They were like piranhas… or a pack of rabid dogs… but with their words. I’m so sorry Bucky,” you muttered despondently into the mattress. You hadn’t been expecting your extended family to grill him like they had. Bucky had taken it in stride, though, answering their questions politely (if not a little quietly and succinctly).

He chuckled softly (the sound made your heart feel just a bit lighter) and you felt the bed dip next to you as he sat down. “It wasn’t that bad, Doll,” he said reassuringly.

“They grilled you. For two hours!” you said, turning to look at him, incredulity on your face.

He shrugged. “Isn’t that what families do?”

“Nosy, obnoxious ones, maybe! I thought they were better than that,” you said, once again shoving your face into the comforter.

“I really didn’t mind, Doll. Way I see it, they all seem to care a lot about you,” he said kindly. 

You sighed deeply and turned to look at him, scrutinizing every inch of him so closely he tensed. 

“What is it?” he asked, suddenly unsure.

You sat up and smiled broadly and he relaxed immediately. “You were amazing today, you know that? I mean, you’re always amazing but I wouldn’t have blamed you in the least if you had run away screaming. But you stuck with me the whole time. Hell, you even sat through my aunt’s scathing comments. God, I wanted to punch her,” you said, eyes darkening as you remembered her frankly appalling attacks on Bucky’s character because of his checkered past. 

Bucky reached up and cupped your face, drawing you from the darker paths your mind was taking. “Hey, if the insults of every entitled middle aged woman got to me I don’t think I’d ever leave the tower,” Bucky said reassuringly. 

You couldn’t help but notice how nice and warm his hand was. You secretly wondered if the cold metal of his other hand would feel just as nice in its own way. “But from my own family-”

Bucky shook his head practically before you’d gotten the first words out. “It’s alright, sweetheart,” he said softly, eyes locked onto yours. That electricity that you’d felt earlier at the market returned ten fold; that magnetic pull that seemed to drag you straight towards Bucky. Even if you could stop, you wouldn’t. When he was looking at you like that you could almost believe he might actually feel the same way about you that you did about him; that this wasn’t all an act.

The space between our lessened until you were breathing the same air, barely a few inches between the two of you. Bucky glanced down at your lips before his gaze flicked back up to you. 

The tiny part in the back of your brain told you it wasn’t real. This was all fake. An act.

But you ignored it.

“Bucky, I-” you whispered, suddenly unsure. If this wasn’t real you didn’t think you could survive the heartbreak.

“Shh,” he whispered, cupping your face between his hands. He leaned in and-

“Sweetheart, your father and I are going to the neighbor’s for a little while! Will you and Bucky be alright for a bit?” your mom yelled shrilly up down the hall.

You and Bucky froze, faces just inches apart. 

Just like at the market, though, the moment was gone and the two of you were back to your unsure, hesitant selves. 

He slowly removed his hands, seeming almost reluctant to do so and you shot up from the bed, suddenly uncomfortable in your own skin.

“Yeah, mom! We’ll be fine! Have fun!” 

“Hey, remember: no sex in the house!” your dad yelled. 

_“Dad!_ ”  

You heard him guffawing heartily as he walked out the door but you were mortified enough for a lifetime and could barely even look at Bucky, whom you could hear chuckling, too.

“Uh. Shower. Yup. Gonna shower,” you said, making a beeline for the bathroom attached to your room. 

“(Y/N)-” Bucky said; you could tell he’d gotten up from the bed but you didn’t pause in your mission of getting to the bathroom as fast as humanly possible. You might have even slammed the door in his face… you didn’t know for sure. 

“Promise I won’t be long!” you said through the door, turning the water on so as to drown out his answer. 

You didn’t hear a response so you finally relaxed a bit and hoped a nice long hot shower would relax and mend your frayed nerves. 

Five minutes later you were in the shower, happily humming away your worries. 

Apparently Elf was effecting you on a subconscious level because you started singing Baby It’s Cold Outside; Your mind filled in the parts the man traditionally sang.

“I really can’t stay…” _But baby it’s cold outside._

You finished shampooing and leaned back to rinse the soap from your hair. 

“I’ve got to go away…” _But baby it’s cold outside._

You ran your fingers through your hair, working the tension from your mind bit by bit.

“This evening has been…” _Been hoping that you’d drop in._

“So very nice…” _I’ll hold your hands they’re just like ice._

You closed your eyes and let the hot water run down your body, simply enjoying the way the steam settled your mind.

“My mother will start to worry…” _Beautiful what’s your hurry?_

“My father will be pacing the floor…” _Listen to the fireplace roar._

A fire sounded nice. You’d have to start one later. It would be nice to cuddle up next to it with- You shook your head of the thought.

“So really I’d better scurry…” _Beautiful please don’t hurry._

“But maybe just a half a drink more…” _Put some records on while I pour._

Maybe Bucky would appreciate some records for next Chr- No, no. Relax. 

“The neighbors might think…” _Baby, it’s bad out there_.

“Say what’s in this drink…?” No cabs to be had out there.

You reached for your loofah and body wash and began a thick lather. You were a little sad at the thought of no longer smelling like Bucky, but you’d die before you admitted that.

“I wish I knew how…” _Your eyes are like starlight now._

“To break this spell…” _“I’ll take your hat, your hair looks swell.”_

Were you imagining it… or did it seem like someone was singing that time? It was hard to hear over the water. 

“I ought to say, no, no, no sir…” _“Mind if I move in closer?”_

“At least I’m gonna say that I tried…” _“What’s the sense in hurtin’ my pride?”_

No, someone was definitely singing along, and unless an intruder with a penchant for singing Holiday duets with women they don’t know managed to beat Bucky up (highly unlikely), there was only one possible culprit… but you’d never heard Bucky sing before. You didn’t even know if he could.

“I really can’t stay…” _“Oh baby don’t hold out.”_

_**“But baby, it’s cold outside.”** _

There was no doubt in your mind now. It was definitely Bucky and, if your ears were to be trusted, it as getting louder which could only mean one thing. He was in the bathroom. Your heart raced at the thought and you did the only thing you could think of; you kept singing. 

“I simply must go…” _“But baby, it’s cold outside.”_

“The answer is no…” _“But baby, it’s cold outside.”_

He was getting closer, his voice getting more sure with each line. Your loofah lay forgotten on the side of the tub as you watched the shadows move behind the curtain. 

“Your welcome has been…” _“How lucky that you dropped in.”_

“So nice and warm…” _“Look out the window at this dawn.”_

If you weren’t mistaken, it looked like- Yes, you were sure of it now. He was undressing. You were caught between wanting to rip the curtain open and wanting to sink into the tiles and hide.

“My sister will be suspicious…” _“Gosh your lips look delicious.”_

“My brother will be there at the door…” _“Waves upon the tropical shore.”_

You watched with a sense of morbid suspense as the shadow that was Bucky neared the curtain, his tall form blocking out a significant amount of light from the bathroom lights. 

“My maiden aunts mind is vicious…” _“Gosh your lips are delicious.”_

“But maybe just a cigarette more…” _“Never such a blizzard before.”_

You pinched yourself and when you didn’t wake up, it really started to sink in. This was really happening. Realizing he wouldn’t make a move without some sort of show of consent, you reached forward and pulled the curtain open a foot or so, and stuck your hand out and made a classic come hither motion with your index finger. 

“I’ve gotta get home…” “But baby, you’d freeze out there.”

“Say lend me a coat…” “It’s up to your knees out there.”

He pushed the shower curtain aside and stepped in, gaze immediately locking onto yours as he stepped completely into the shower. Your voice was barely louder than a whisper now. If he didn’t have enhanced hearing it might have been difficult for him to make it out over the sound of the water. 

“You’ve really been grand…” “I thrill when you touch my hand.”

“But don’t you see…? “How can you do this thing to me?”

He closed the distance between you in one short step, his large form blocking out almost everything else from your vision. You couldn’t help your gaze; it traveled over his entire body and you noticed him doing the same thing. When he reached up and cupped your cheeks between his hands, your gaze snapped back to him. One of your hands came up and placed itself gently on his cheek and his eyes softened almost imperceptibly at the touch. 

“There’s bound to be talk tomorrow…” “Think of my lifelong sorrow.”

“At least there will be plenty implied…” “If you got pneumonia and died.”

Water ran down his front, leaving trails down his body that your mind urged you to follow with your eyes, but you simply couldn’t look away from his captivating blue eyes. You stepped forward, leaving nary an inch between the two of you. You had to tilt your head up to look at him and his gaze was stormy with desire. Now, your voices were barely a whisper and you breathed the same steamy air.

“I really can’t stay…” “Get over that old out.”  
 **“Baby, it’s cold,  
Baby, it’s cold outside.”**

He leaned down to close the gap between your lips but you spoke before his lips could touch yours. You just couldn’t let him go further if this wasn’t real; if you’d wake up tomorrow and just be friends. Your heart wouldn’t be able to take it. Not once you knew what he tasted like. What he looked like naked.

“Bucky, if this… if this isn’t real… if this is part of some act-” 

Your words were cut off by his lips crashing against yours. The intensity of the kiss took your breath away and you kissed him back like it was the last thing you’d ever do. His arms left your cheeks to snake around your waist and he pulled you to him. You felt your cheeks heat as your breasts squished up against his chest and you knew exactly what it was that you felt pressed up against your lower stomach, which only made the kiss between you even hotter. Your arms wrapped around his shoulders and one of your hands tangled itself in his hair. Your lips danced together and the world fell away around you until it was only you and him and the way you felt in each other’s arms. 

After a moment you both broke apart, gasping for air, but stayed glued to each other, neither one willing to let the other go. 

“Did that feel fake, Doll?” Bucky breathed, cheeks flushed as he gazed down at you. 

“No,” you breathed. 

And that was the truth. Nothing had felt more real to you in your entire life than this moment- than the way Bucky felt right there in that shower. He smiled. It was a small, crooked thing that belied the enormous emotion swirling behind his eyes. You didn’t even think about what you did next; your mind and body were in complete agreement and the movement felt as natural as breathing:

You stood on your toes and captured his lips in another passionate kiss.


End file.
